STUDENT PROFILES
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Check out these eclectic student profiles, illustrating the diverse academic courses, co-curriculars, clubs, sports and leadership experiences O’Dowd offers.
ABABACAR​
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"My father is from Senegal and I am part of the tradition of West African musicians, storytellers and poets, called griots. When I am drumming, I am telling a story. It's how I connect to myself, to God, and to my ancestors. At O'Dowd, Mr. Green has been a special teacher and mentor because he knows so much about West African history and culture. His knowledge helps me to know where I came from. For example, I knew the pentatonic scale, but I didn't know that it has roots in ancient civilizations in Africa! Mr. Green even took our class on a field trip with singer/songwriter Bobby McFarin and I got to play my drum, which was amazing. Now I'm taking what I learned from Mr. Green and teaching drumming to other students who are hungry to learn. It feels spiritual, sharing my heritage at O'Dowd. It feels like I'm coming full circle."​​
TRISCELLA
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“I love all the opportunities to explore my own spirituality at O'Dowd. I was raised Catholic, but the curriculum at O'Dowd isn't about making us believe anything. Instead our teachers and classes ask us: "What do you believe? How can you act in alignment with your beliefs?" Classes like Sexuality and Spirituality, or Feminism, Christianity and Society have helped me to define my own values, while also showing me how I can respect values that are important to others. I've joined the Campus Ministry Team, and I'm getting confirmed this year, all because of O'Dowd's welcoming and accepting community. Maybe one day I'll come back to teach Religious Studies!”
LONDON
"I joined Mock Trial as a 9th grader and the team was so inclusive. I immediately felt like I belonged. My Mock Trial friends have helped me navigate everything related to O'Dowd, and pushed me out of my shell, socially. I remember winning a Mock Trial award in Chicago as a 9th grader and how my team encouraged me to stay for the celebration, instead of just taking my award back to my room! That was big growth for me. Now I want to support the incoming 9th graders in Mock Trial, and guide them in the same way I was guided. Ultimately, I want to be an attorney. I have already interned for the San Francisco Public Defender's Office and the Alameda County District Attorney. I'm really grateful how the Mock Trial team at O'Dowd has helped me reach my goals, academically and socially!"​​
ELLIE
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"Peer tutoring at O'Dowd has been a great way to build community. I started tutoring in Mandarin, English, Science and Math as a 9th grader, because I wanted to challenge myself to be more extroverted. I stuck with it and now I'm a Lead Peer Tutor. It's important for me to create a safe space for others, because I remember when I was a 9th grader and how afraid I was to approach older students for help. As a leader, I'm focused on making sure that O'Dowd's Academic Support Center feels like a welcoming place for all students to get support - especially my peers who are more shy. Peer tutoring has helped me to give back to the O'Dowd community, and to become more confident in myself!”
AIDEN​
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"Advanced Placement Environmental Science opened up my whole world and got me committed to sustainability. The issue I want to address is consumerism. That passion gives my psychology, statistics, and calculus interests more meaning, because I can look at consumerism through each discipline and gain a wider perspective. It feels clear to me that young people need to lead change. We're the ones who have a stake in the future. This year I'm co-president of Impact Z, a student group which educates our peers on social and political issues. We've done tree planting, beach cleanups, and voter registration. Because of O'Dowd, I know I have the connections, resources, and foundation to achieve my goals."
XARED
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"Joining Latinos Unidos was a risk for me. None of my friends were doing it, so it felt like throwing myself into an unfamiliar environment. But it turned out that I loved it! Being a leader with Latinos Unidos feels like the start of becoming the person I want to be, making a positive impact in my community. I've learned to be dependable and to take pride in what I do, which has improved my academic work too. And I've gone out for more leadership opportunities, like Campus Ministry Team. O'Dowd has taught me to invest in community, and I'm proud to be a student that my younger peers can look up to."
RIYA
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“I'm a competitive gymnast and my dad is the team physician for O'Dowd football, so I've always been interested in athletes and the body. But everything really came together in 10th grade, when I got a sports injury. Suddenly I needed a lot of accommodations to get my schoolwork done, and I got so much support from the O'Dowd community. I met with my counselor every week and he helped me to stay on track. He made it clear that he really cared about me and how I was doing, not just about my grades. With his help, and all of my O'Dowd friends, I was able to get through 7 months of physical recovery, and still get A's and B's in my classes. Now I'm getting ready to apply to kinesiology programs, and I'm interested in becoming a physical therapist. I'm grateful for how O'Dowd has helped to shape my journey, in every way!”
TOBY
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“O'Dowd teachers show us how to pursue our curiosity and learn for the joy of it - not just memorizing facts and focusing on letter grades. Mr. Allen is my physics teacher, and Ms. Sadetsky was my Honors and AP Chemistry teacher, and they both moderate the Science Olympiad Club. They've created a space for me and my friends to explore engineering, chemistry, biology, and earth science. It's great to be part of a community that's excited to learn how the world works. And it's really meaningful to have personal connections with my teachers and to see how much they care. Right now I'm being recruited by a number of prestigious universities for math and engineering. That opportunity is 100% because of the exceptional education and co-curricular experiences I've received at O'Dowd.”
JACK​
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“What I love about O'Dowd is how the community supports students to forge a path around their unique passions. I love fishing, oceanography, and aquaculture. With teachers like Ms. Souza and Mrs. Gray I've been able to start a fishing club at O'Dowd, and even partner with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to pilot youth fishing clubs that could expand to public schools across the state! I'm also working to pass legislation to keep our oceans clean, and my peers with Solidarity in Action have jumped to help me drive this agenda with local and statewide environmental organizations. This community doesn't just say yes. O'Dowd gives enthusiastic support to all of our dreams.”
PHOEBE
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“I joined Journalism as a 10th grader, and now I'm the managing editor-in-chief for O'Dowd's newspaper and literary journal. It's given me such a sense of purpose! I've learned to look at the world with an investigative lens, and I've seen the power of bringing my unique perspective to a topic. I want to study political science, and maybe even go to university in Washington DC. Because of Journalism at O'Dowd, I'm empowered and confident that I can succeed in my dreams. One day, I could even lead a newsroom.”
BRENTON
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“I'm grateful for the special relationships we have with our teachers at O'Dowd. Mr. Allen was my physics teacher, and he also helped me to create an independent study so that we could research electrical circuits together. I learned how to be bold and self-advocate, because I had to ask the Science Department to approve the course and purchase equipment. And Mr. Allen and I had a lot of fun with the circuit project! I might even want to be a teacher myself someday. For my required service hours, I tutored at an Oakland summer camp for elementary school kids and it was really satisfying to watch my own students understand a tough concept. O'Dowd has taught me that if I put in the effort, we can achieve what we want together.”
VINCE
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“AP African-American Studies made a huge impact on me. I'm Afro-Latino, and learning about my history and culture with Mr. Green was amazing. He's an orator and a historian and he takes us on interesting field trips in Oakland where history actually happened. I want to study film and cinematography in college. Because of AP African-American Studies I got inspired to make a documentary film about the history and culture of Nicaragua, where my family is from. It's been a gift to connect more with my culture, and it's also taught me to appreciate other cultures, too.”